Half to george



(No Model.)

L. W. MERRIAM.

' GAN OPENER. No. 563,936. Patented July 14, 1896.

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MW! a 17 n fa a! UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LYMAN XV. MERRIAM, OF FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO GEORGE O. ALLEN, OF SAME-PLACE.

CAN-OPENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 563,936, dated July 14, 1896.

Application filed May 4, 1 896. $eria1 No. 590,179. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LYMAN W. MERRIAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fitchburg, in the county of lVorcester and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can-Openers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention refers to an improved means for opening cans or receptacles of tin or other similar metal or material, such as, for instance, fruit-cans, meat-cans, and similar packages, the object of the invention being to provide means incorporated with the can whereby the can may be readily opened at any time at the pleasure of the intending user of the contents thereof without necessitating the application of any independent cutter or instrument, such as is often employed and which is obnoxious for many reasons, as, for instance, the spattering of the contents and the leaving of jagged edges on the can after cutting.

My invention therefore consists, essentially, in the combination, with a can or similar package,of a wire or filamentary body incorporated on the cover or wall of the can in such away, substantially as described, that a manipulation of the same will readily sever the cover from the can or will disengage the parts of the can, so as to quickly and easily open the same and expose the contents for use.

The invention may also be said to comprise certain details in the combination and construction of the parts, substantially as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tin or other can provided with my improved can-opening means. Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial elevational view showing the method of manipulating the wire in removing the cover. Fig. 4 is a detail edge view of the can-cover and the adjacent strip or ring, between which and the cover-flange is to be inserted and soldered the severing-wire.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the diflerent fig.- ures of the drawings.

In the present example of my invention, A denotes a tin can for fruit or other contents, the same being represented here simply by way of illustration, it being understood that my invention is applicable to all kinds of tin or metal receptacles or packages, it being especially adapted for ordinary tin cans.

The can A is provided with a cover B, having the peripheral flange b, which fits over the edge of one end of the can. This cover B, of course, may be at either end of the can, it being understood that the can is of the kind referred to, consisting of a cylindrical body with a head at each end, said head comprising a circular disk and a peripheral flange, which flange engages the edge or end of the cylinder and fits tightly thereover, being soldered to keep it in place. In carrying my invention into effect the flange Z) of the cover 13 will preferably be made slightly wider than is usual. Adjacent to the edge of the coverflange Z) is located a circular strip or ring a, a small intervening space D being left between the circular strip a and the cover-flange b, said space being adapted to receive therein a wire or filamentary body of some kind C of sufficient size to enable it to lie neatly and closely between the two parts a and b,as sh own in Fig. 2. A mass of solder is applied ate to tightly solder the edges of the parts a and b to the intermediate wire 0 and to cover the wire 0 on the outside, as shown in Fig. 2, thereby connecting the ring a and the coverflange I) together firmly and tightly, so that they will constitute practically one piece. It is to be observed that the ring or strip a is soldered to the outside wall of the can, as shown at a in Fig. 2, and is therefore nonremovable from the wall of the can. The solder connection of the wire with the parts a and b will be strong and secure, sufficiently strong that any ordinary force exerted to pull them apart will be ineffectual, but by giving the wire 0 a lateral movement by grasping one end, as shown in Fig. 1, and pulling it away from the can, as shown in Fig. 3, the binding force of the solder will be very easily overcome, and the wire will be withdrawn from the slot in which it is situated and caused to disengage'the parts a and b from each other, thereby severing the cover B from the can and enabling it to be easily removed.

In the construction of the can it will be found convenient in connecting the parts a, b, and 0 together to employ a mandrel, on which the ring or strip a will be placed and likewise the cover-flange b, the parts being relatively related to each other, as shown in Fig. at, and then the wire C may be introduced between them, and the binder for the wire and the parts a and 1), consisting of solder or some other suitable material, will be flowed along the slot and caused to cement or firmly connect the intermediate wire and the two parts a b, as c lready explained. It will be understood that it is not necessary for this wire 0 to pass entirely around the circle of the can circumference, but it passed partially around it will be sufiicient to enable the can to be opened far enough to give access to its contents.

lVitnesscs:

FRED E. TASKER, J. FRED. KELLEY. 

